Sia Viborg Lindskrog

Molecular approach for a better understanding of bladder cacer biology

Bladder Cancer

Through detailed analysis of large amounts of data, Sia Viborg Lindskrog has given bladder cancer patients hope of better, early-stage treatment.

Doctor of Molecular Medicine Sia Viborg Lindskrog has specialised in bioinformatics, which involves analysing data on the computer and leaving the lab work to colleagues. She is part of a group researching bladder cancer as part of a large European collaboration. This has given Sia and her colleagues access to data from a very large group of patients. ”It enabled us to identify new connections, analysing tumour material at molecular level. In the first part of the project, I studied data from patients with early-stage bladder cancer. I looked at the genes expressed by the cancer cells and identified four sub-types, one of which is associated with a more aggressive course of disease than the others,” Sia explains. The results of the project can potentially lead to more customised treatment compared to today, where early-stage bladder cancer patients receive more or less the same treatment. Moreover, Sia and her group proceeded to studying gene expressions at single-cell level. This revealed that several sub-types can co-exist within a tumour – which of course is valuable knowledge. "In the next part of the project we looked at later stages of the disease, where patients had had their bladder removed. Our results suggest that – compared to scanning – a more effective way to detect recurrence is to look for cancer DNA in the blood,” Sia says. She continues her work as a postdoc in a very promising clinical study, testing the results on patients and hoping that this will enable treatment at an earlier stage in the future.